"If you are lost in the forest and don't know
Where to go? Just go home!"
Someone is incredibly fucking smart...
Honestly, I never thought that walking would be so damn boring... No, seriously... I've been walking for about forty hours on foot through this snow and potholes, but I haven't met anyone... Although, I must admit... There are incredibly beautiful landscapes here...
Snow, falling in large flakes, gradually covers the entire earth with a warm white blanket, and the fir trees are covered with it like Easter cakes with powdered sugar... The air is incredibly frosty but also unforgettably fresh. The sun shines almost always, and the nights are short...
From this we can conclude that I am somewhere very northern. The magic in the air still gives off something... Unpleasant. I feel like something, or rather "Someone", sensed that I am here. On their territory... However, this someone did nothing... I feel like they are... Afraid of me... Ha,.. This is very strange. Even when I get to another world, again, fucking, the otherworldly forces are afraid of me. Although... This may even be good... They will pester me less...
However, this "icy thing", I will call it that for now, is not the only one who watches me. Almost imperceptibly, barely perceptible for those who are "lower", but I feel this strange gaze from birds and even trees. My instincts and feelings are too sharp for such a childish game,.. And I do not hide much, although I could…
And despite this... Well, there really isn't a soul around... I stretched my sensory perception for ten kilometers and didn't find a single person... Not even a bear or a wolf... Only a few birds and one rabbit, which was instantly killed, roasted and eaten. Without salt, without spices and sauces... So-so, but livable...
Well... You can perceive it as the same vacation... Like a hike... Let's say to the mountains... True, there is no Sochinski resort here with wonderful, warm baths, cafes with shawarma for two dollars and free health procedures in the form of the same massage or mud baths... There is absolutely nothing here... Well, it's just a dream of an eco-activist/healthy lifestyle-lover/vegan/or-whatever-they-call-them... Although...
I'm kind of tired of walking and wandering through snowy fields, so I'll make myself a little house... A resort house by a pond with a view of the mountain... Yes, that sounds like a plan!
And no sooner said than done.
In just a couple of hours, I built myself a small one-story den made of wood with a stone floor and some kind of stone stove and amenities inside. How did I do it so quickly? Well, it's simple, I'm a demon. Strong, fast, resilient and powerful... Just like a multi-skilled migrant worker...
The temperature outside by the time I finished the construction and fired up my mini-oven had dropped to about minus twenty-five/thirty. A pretty strong wind blew, it started snowing even harder, and the sky was covered with black clouds… Thunder was heard in the distance…
Well... It was a good decision to build myself a "hut"...
***
It was already dark outside... The firewood in the stove was crackling pleasantly, and a tea bag, hidden in advance with the help of magic, was brewed in a wooden mug with the addition of pine needles and wild berries... The evening can be considered somewhat successful...
It's strange to say, but I'm even a little... Almost grateful to those who pulled me out of the plane and stuck me here. I'm even ready not to torture them especially much before the bloody massacre and subsequent death...
This place is strangely calming... The quiet hum outside the window, the snow falling on the roof, the light crackling and warmth of the fire... Ideal conditions to meditate for the first time in a long time and get rid of all the "stress" that surrounded me before...
I sit in the lotus position on a bed filled with pine needles, take a deep breath and close my eyes, immersing myself in memories...
***
— Lady Makima! — A knock and a creaking door are heard through the ringing silence, after which Aki Hayakawa appears in what is now "my" office. - I have come to you with a report on the work my squad has done…
"Yes, yes... God... Not a moment of peace..."
— Aki... — My eyes hurt a little, and for some unknown reason my head is haunted by a migraine from lack of sleep. And anyway, how can I feel this? I'm a demon... - Just give me a short report in writing... It's not that important now... - I take a cigarette out of a half-empty pack and light it.
"It's good to be a boss. You can smoke right in your office and nothing will happen to you for it… True,.. As much as I'd like to just fuck around at work and count the money at the end of the month, writing off or depriving bonuses from all sorts of idiots, but in my case, my life depends on my work, as does the life of all humanity… And no one will even say thank you to me…"
— Lady Makima?
— Aki... Better tell me, how is the search for objects codenamed "File" and "Menstruation" going? — I get up from the chair, quietly stretch my back and go to the window to look at the gray and dull city...
"Fuck,.. How does anyone even live here? These Buryats are such masochists..."
— Ahem... - Apparently the guy coughed into his fist. Either from embarrassment, or for the sake of decency. Most likely the second option. — The object "File" has been potentially detected, but with the object... With the object "Menstruation" everything is not so smooth...
— … And what about him? — I turn my head and look the guy in the eyes. Hmm… Is he really ashamed or is he just pretending? — You were given specific instructions on the object, — its abilities, methods of pursuing, capturing and delivering the object to our underground complex… — A very small, sarcastic grin "involuntarily" appeared on my face. — So what… Went wrong?..
— Excuse me, Lady Makima… — Hmm… Did my eye twitch, or did it seem that way? — But to our great regret, the object showed much greater and more active resistance than initially expected… Half of the emergency response team is dead, and all transport equipment was destroyed… The remaining members of the team managed to temporarily neutralize the target, but carried out the detention and transportation without the "unexpected and surprisingly timely" assistance provided to us…
— Provided by... who? — I didn't even notice how I came almost right up to the guy and slightly narrowed my eyes.
"The one who was… Lady Guanxi…" Something strange was reflected in the guy's eyes when he answered, as if he expected to be shot or something worse.
"Hmmm... And what did this lover of "vobla" and other office supplies suddenly need in Japan?.. Especially in Tokyo?.. Only if Kishibe is not involved in this, then I have no ideas."
— Well... - My eyes flashed gold for a moment. — Tell me more about it...
Department of Public Security Bureau.
Japan. City of Tokyo.
Underground level
Time: 23:30
Power lay tightly bound with chains and leather straps on a surgical table. In a completely white room, lined with something surprisingly soft and unbreakable… Believe me, she tried…
The blonde's mood couldn't be worse. Her cat had been stolen, beaten, stripped, chained and left here! They were torturing her, feeding her some strange food WITHOUT BLOOD! They were asking stupid questions, injecting some strange liquids directly into her veins, which made her very sleepy and weakened her strength. Her body was covered with strange pieces of paper with some scribbles, and a quiet hum was heard in her head...
But Power didn't give up! She would definitely break out of here! She would save Myavka, kill all those pathetic people in cheap black suits and definitely take revenge on that bitchy one-eyed bitch... Yes... She would definitely take revenge!
While the blonde was indulging in her wet dreams of "fair and bloody revenge," the door to her prison cell opened with a characteristic metallic creak and Power felt something very strange… It was FEAR…
Fear is a feeling that is practically inaccessible to demons. Often these creatures cannot experience it either due to their feeblemindedness or because of their enormous ego and sense of their own omnipotence and importance... Fear is accessible to them only on the threshold of death... Or in the presence of the HORSEMAN...
Power's eyes trembled in search of imminent danger, his body and particularly his knees trembled treacherously, and a chilling sweat appeared on his forehead...
— Power,.. Power,.. Power…
This voice... It seemed to make her entire demonic essence tremble and shake in fits of fear and despair... It was so deceptively gentle and friendly, so kind and melodic... It seemed to... Envelop her soul... With its chains...
The couch lowered and before the eyes of the blood demon there appeared a girl with hair the color of blood and piercing, very strange, demonic golden eyes... These eyes cannot be confused with anything... In front of her was the Horseman.
— My name is Makima... And I represent the Public Safety Bureau. Here. In Japan... And I solve the problems that prevent people from quietly and peacefully dragging out their existence... Here. In Japan... — Makima slowly and smoothly walked around the couch, "affectionately" stroking the captive's head, which made Power shudder again and again. — And I solve problems, Power... Tell me... You will be a problem, huh? — The deceptively kind face "shone" with a gentle and kind smile, trying to either blind vigilance, or lull and gain trust.
— W-w-what do you w-want from m-m-me??? I didn't do anything?! P-please?! — Tears welled up in the blonde's eyes, and her body began to sweat even more profusely, completely soaking her white robe.
— Well, well, well... — The red-haired one only smiled even "kinder". — Everything is fine, my dear... You are completely...there is nothing to be afraid of... — For a moment, Makima's gaze became harder, and his eyes sparkled gold even brighter than before.
— I-I-I… — Power swallowed a large amount of saliva with a characteristic gurgle. — I'll do… I'll do everything… Anything… P-please… — With every moment of Makima's silence, the blonde seemed to feel more and more pressure from the surrounding environment… The room, the air and those eyes… All this seemed to plunge her into an endless veil of darkness and despair... The Blood Demon never thought that she was capable of feeling something like this... And this only made it more frightening...
— Hmmm… Anything you like?.. — The Horseman's eyes filled with joy, and snow-white teeth flashed from his tightly compressed red lips, frightening him even more. — Then... Let's make a deal...
***
Somewhere beyond the Wall.
"True North"
Around midnight.
Val didn't think that another group hunt with her fellow tribesmen would turn into such a shitty day... It all started out not so bad and even quite ordinary... At sunrise, drown your face in an ice hole, somehow brush your teeth according to some strange custom passed down to her from her mother... A southerner, what can you do. After that, hone your combat skills as a spearwoman in sparring with the tribe's hunters and other spearwomen, help the women of the tribe wash and dry clothes and tents, help set up tents... Yeah, a lot of things to do, but the blonde figured it all out by about the time the sun rose to its zenith. Then three of her fellow tribesmen called her to another hunt and gather.
Red and young, but very quiet guy named Stir with a tight and rather frail, slightly lanky body but deadly green eyes. He almost never spoke and always somehow sneaked up on everyone behind their back, which is why half the tribe literally hated him.
Hilda, a black-haired archer of excellent skill, judging by all the archers she has seen. She is still extremely young, but very active, despite frequent malnutrition and the recent death of her grandfather, which, although the girl tries not to show it, greatly hurt and undermined Hilda spiritually.
And also Egon. Almost gray, quite old, and therefore an extremely respected and authoritative member of the tribe. His long beard is braided into strange, not the most neat and correct braids, which his granddaughter knitted for him. One eye, once lost long ago, was bandaged with a strange, colorful southern rag. The old man always claimed that it was a battle trophy, but it was hard to believe... Grandpa is strange in principle, although... This is not very surprising, because he has lived through many winters. He himself does not even know how many... He says that he stopped counting after 20, which is already a fucking long time...
Having collected supplies, the group under the command of Val, as the most fucked up of this bunch, and therefore the most authoritative and respected, decided to go hunting further south, since there had been less and less game to the east and west lately, and the suspicious summer was still not ending, not giving way to autumn... And this, to be honest, scared Val much more than the possible famine in the near future...
Still, something was wrong here, her wild, female heart told her... Her mother, even in childhood, told her southern fairy tales in the evenings. About kings and princesses, about gods, about knights... The blonde did not like them then or now. Something rebellious and wild resisted these ideas incredibly strongly, considered it all "slavery" and, oddly enough, "savagery"... But Val's mother also told her tales about long snowfalls and "hunting old men"... When, during regular northern winters, old men and women took some clothes, weapons and a loaf of bread with water and simply went to die in the snow dunes of the cold "north" so that their children and grandchildren would not starve...
The spearwoman understood that winters are harsh, that winters are terrible and horrible, especially if you are not prepared for them... And usually winters, almost always, last as long as summer... And this thought sent a strong, "sticky", nasty shiver down her spine...
They simply would not be able to withstand more than ten years of winter. They would not be able to join the Tenn tribe, where there are hot springs and natural protection from powerful winds and hurricanes in the form of mountains and caves. Going further south is also not the best option. Secretly sneaking through the wall and "wintering" somewhere in the "warm" and "sunny" south will not work. Even if the "ravens" do not notice or catch them, they will at least be recognized by the kneelers. They do not have their clothes, and in such quantity, and they will not be able to behave the same way as these slick, slippery southerners. They will be immediately discovered, reported to these "lords", and maybe even to the "king of wolves", and then they will have serious problems ...
The southerners are weak in spirit, they kneel and prefer the life of slaves, but they have good steel and horses. They know how to fight with them, although they almost never do it. Even then, my mother told me about the massacre that she had the misfortune of witnessing... And if her story is true, then the free people have no chance in a direct confrontation, and ambushes and raids will not bring enough benefit... Eh... Wherever you throw, there is a wedge everywhere...
— Hey, Val… — Igor's hoarse voice rang out through the light hum of the wind. — So where are we going? I wouldn't want to go into Tenn territory... I'm not on very good terms with them, let's say...
Val has a headache, and they've only been on the road for half an hour...
— Igor, we're going south. Towards the south... As much as I don't want to get close to that nasty bastard Craster, but... We need game, snowberries and at least some vegetation... We need to look for at least a snow mushroom...
— C-h-ha! - Stir cracked his strangely moving arm bones and grunted something, as usual, unintelligible.
The guy's bones always crunched and squelched in an incomprehensible way, which was even somewhat disgusting. This sound resembled the sound of breaking cartilage, which is why the previous leader of their tribe once nicknamed him Stir the Boneless behind his back, which, as you can easily understand, was not the most pleasant and respected nickname, which is why the guy, who is already disliked by many, became a natural outcast and almost an outcast ... At first, of course, they tried to mock him. His peers and some older guys wanted to make him someone like a "Southern Jester" only an example of the "free people", but the red-haired bastard could have been made of Valyrian steel, if he knew what it was, but he did not know, so you can assume that this guy has a strong-willed nature and balls of steel, because he did not allow himself to be made fun of for a second. At first he called a couple of the most "funny" and "loud" ones into the circle. After he impaled their funny heads on his spear, - the number of funny guys around Stir for some reason dropped to zero... But this guy didn't forget... He didn't forget anything... And to those who forgot... He will remind...
— Oh, Gods, Stir! — Hilda stuck her little finger in her ear and twisted it. — You can squish your bird bones somewhere else! And not in front of my ears! — The brunette's indignation was palpable if you wanted to.
— Hmm... I don't promise anything! — A mocking wheeze was her answer.
— Oh holy wolves, Stir! You... You are unbearable!
— Ahem... Why take me somewhere? — The red-haired guy's "dispassionately mocking" wheeze was followed by a female scream.
— Oh, Gods, fuck... — Val already wants to just fall and smash his head on a solid boulder just so he doesn't have to hear any of this... And they still have a very... A very long way to go...
***
A couple of hours later, their team got lucky. And not just lucky, but big time! They came across a large, menacing and incredibly beautiful white deer... To be honest, Val and the other members of her squad had never seen anything like it or even heard of anything like it... Even Igor peered at this "Wonder-Wonder" with eyes wide open in shock.
The deer was truly beautiful...
Snow-white, even whiter than the purest snow and clouds, perfectly smooth fur. Black and gold, large hooves that supported incredibly strong, muscular legs. But the greatest, most amazing and beautiful thing that simply enchanted even such wild people was the horns... A real crown, majestic and beautiful. Large, branched horns, shining blue and light blue almost literally occupied the entire space... The deer looked truly royal, as if the master of these wild forests and mountains stood before you... A real king of winter...
— P-p, Val... P-p! — A painful poke in the side and a quiet but sharp whisper "awakened" the blonde from a strange obsession. — W-What are we going to do?.. — Hilda hesitated strangely. — H-how are we going to kill it?.. — The girl's voice was filled with awe. — Y-is it even worth it?
— Yes... — The old man also decided to put in his mite. — But won't we incur the wrath of the old gods if we disturb this wondrous animal? — The old man's voice and gaze clearly expressed excitement. Something on the edge of his consciousness was disturbing him, and his instincts were tense... Igor was used to trusting his instincts...
And only Styr didn't care at all. He didn't say a single word for or against. The guy simply slowly turned his head towards Val and nodded slightly, confirming his intention to follow her decisions and obey her orders...
But Val really didn't know what to do… On the one hand, she understood Hilda and Igor's arguments… Something about this deer really made her nervous, and the instincts honed over all the years of her life began to slowly "get on her nerves"…
On the other hand, there was her native tribe... Those hungry faces of children, who had only recently received their names after "two years of namelessness" did not allow her to just sit still and do nothing... She simply could not help them!.. Her mother called it humanity and kindness,.. And one of the elders of the tribe, who died twelve moons ago, told her that it was stupid and dangerous... Well... She really just wants to be stupid... And she really likes... Danger.
— Listen to my command... We will kill the deer.
***
— Fuck, fuck, fuck, f-f-f-f-f-f-fuck!!! — Val, she just ran. She had no other options.
Everything was fine at the beginning.
She and her team sneaked up behind the deer, spread out, and tried to lure it into a trap so they could attack it later. Using Styr and Igor's spears, they forced the deer into the perfect spot for Hilda's precise shots and Val's perfect finish as she leapt from a tree onto the animal's juicy butt.
But then, suddenly, right after killing the beautiful animal, the hunting team did not even have time to take a breath, a rather loud rumble was heard from the forest. And then, when very heavy, ponderous steps became clearly audible, a thunderous roar was heard over the forest. The trees in the distance began to sway and fall, and the snow from the destroyed trees was picked up by the wind, which blew towards the hunters. It carried not only a chilling pile of frozen water, but also a terrifyingly stinking smell of an unwashed body... There could be no doubt... It was...
— GI-LI-KAN!!! — Old Igor, in an uncharacteristic but incredibly appropriate manner, screamed in panic, frantically pointing his already icy hand in the direction from which the sound was coming.
The face of the giant who appeared from the forest was terrible and very... Strange.
Half of the face seemed to be burnt right down to the skull. The baked meat and bones, wet from the wind and snow, glistened in the sunlight, and the skins on the body of this monster were smeared with something colorful... It was blood.
— A-A-A-A-A-A-A-A-A-A-A-A-A-A-A-A-A-A-A-A-A — The creature's scream literally blocked up the ears, and Igor's eardrum was torn off and blood started coming out of his ears.
His rotten mouth, with a thunderous scream, spewed out bile and pus along with saliva. Black blood flowed from the right eye socket, but the eyes... They were bright red!!! Like a terrible creature from those "Horrible Seven Hells" that mother Val told about. There was definitely something wrong with this giant!!!
— Eleke-le-ke! Grib pigerne! Vi får brug for kvinder efter det herlige festmåltid, hvor vi skal tilberede denne hjort og de to mænd! GOD JAGT!!!
— From behind the giant's back (?!) one could hear the voices of those whom neither Val nor her group wanted to hear more than anything else in the world.
— KAN-NI-BA-LY!!! — Hilda convulsively pulled the arrow and with hands shaking from fear tried to aim, apparently at the warg and the shaman, who for some reason was sitting on the giant's back
— Oh, fucking hell, what's going on here?! — Even Stir, always calm as the world's most well-fed hidden boa constrictor, couldn't or couldn't hold back his surprise and excitement at what he saw. He also convulsively stood up, took out his trophy steel axes and prepared for what would most likely be his last fight in his life.
It all happened in a split second. The situation wasn't just terrible... It was just fucking terrible! They simply had no chance to survive!!! No options! No options!!! But still, something had to be done! There was no way she was going to surrender to these cannibals!!!
Val had to think at breakneck speed. She needed to orient herself and understand, to assess their options and possibilities, to choose and make a decision. And the only thing that came to her mind at all was…
— RUN, FUCKING MOTHER, RUN! — Val turned around and without wasting a second sped up as much as she could and just ran.
Her partners were stunned for a microsecond, but a moment later they came to their senses and ran at top speed after their commander.
Behind them they heard the whistle of arrows and spears, and the giant's roar, as if trying to destroy their mind and soul, pressed and disoriented them. They were lucky that almost two minutes of running ahead of them there was a forest and a small mountain, with the help of which they could try to throw off their pursuers, and if they were really lucky, then there might be a chance, albeit tiny, to defeat their opponents.
— Val!!! I have a plan! — Stir shouted to his commander, picking up a spear that one of the cannibal pursuers had thrown in their direction. He turned and threw the spear, hitting one of the pursuers. — We need to get to that climb up the mountain! — The red-haired guy pointed his finger at the place.
— Got it! — A smile appeared on the face of the main hunter. They have a chance to get out of here alive! — Let's run there!
A group of four extremely unlucky hunters ran up to the rise and began to climb the mountain. They were actually lucky in some way. The giant, for some unknown reason, could not run. Although he was quite fast, he walked very strangely, which is what allowed Val's team to escape pursuit by at least fifty meters.
— Faster, faster! — The old man's hoarse voice, in which one could hear genuine panic, urged his fellow tribesmen on. — Move your rotten asses faster, otherwise we'll all be eaten! — The old man also slapped Hilda on the thigh in pursuit.
— Go to hell, you old piece of mammoth shit!!! — The brunette's indignation knew no bounds! — Stop it, fuck, who did I tell!!! I'll kick you right now to those cheerful gut-suckers! And they'll make southern delicacies out of you!!!
— Get on with it, fat-ass! — Igor, in his old age, became completely too lazy to "keep an eye on the market," which is why, without realizing it, he incurred Hilda's revenge in the form of a juicy kick right to the head! Thank all the ancient gods that Hilda often went undernourished, which is why her strength at that moment was not enough to throw her grandfather off the climb. — What are you talking about?!
— Stop it both!!! — Val was the first to get up the rise and grabbing Styr and Hilda by the hands, she managed to pull them up, after which she took hold of Igor. — This is going to hurt us a lot now if you don't shut up and concentrate! - Val had a second to catch her breath and she took advantage of it. — ... So. Now we need to drop that boulder right on top of these assholes as quickly as possible! So Igor, Styr, — you need to lean your whole body on that boulder and push it on my signal. Hilda, you will shoot at these freaks as accurately and as well as possible, okay?
— Always ready, but I'm almost out of arrows. There's about ten of them left. — A grim determination was reflected in the brunette's eyes.
— Well, if that's the case, then kill as many of these freaks as you can, and then run and don't look back. — The blonde's face darkened, and her gaze was more eloquent than any words. — Try to get back to our tribe as quickly as possible and tell us everything that happened here! It's very important!
At first, Hilda really wanted to object, but when she saw Val's face…
She will do as she is ordered. She will get to the main camp... No matter how painful it is...
— Hey, no. kha-kha,.. — The old man coughed hard, but the smile did not leave his wrinkled face. — Don't worry so much. Everything will be fine with us. Where has ours not disappeared? — And even though Igor laughed, everyone around understood that most likely no one except Hilda would get out of here alive...
— They're coming! — Val called the squad to action loudly. The red-haired boy and the old man approached the boulder and leaned their backs against it, while their leader used her spear as a kind of lever to accurately roll the volnun. Several random arrows flew past them and right at the stone, and even a wooden spear flew a couple of times. Weak and very slow. — Hilda! They're out of arrows! Shoot those crawling here!
— With pleasure! — The archer immediately crawled out from behind cover and launched several arrows at the cannibals climbing the ledge. She hit all of them... Almost all of them. The arrows ran out, and about 5 more people were climbing the ledge. — Val, I can't shoot anymore! No arrows! — Hilda looked around in a slight panic and managed to find a small stone to throw at the attacker's head, but she was interrupted by the commander's voice. — Hilda! — Val threw the brunette a knife in a leather sheath and the girl caught it. — Run! Run and don't look back!
— Y-yes! — Tears welled up in the archer's eyes, but without saying goodbye, and rather only casting a last glance at these people, she ran as fast as she could in the direction where their tribe should be. The "brothers and sister" were moving further and further away until they became just a tiny dot on the horizon... Her last thought was regret... Regret that she had not found the courage to refuse Val and die with them...
***
— There it is! — Val saw the giant approach the ledge, holding a large fallen tree in his hands.
Here it is, the only chance. Push the stone, crush the head of this monster and, if possible, either kill the others or escape.
— NOW!!! AND ONCE!!! — The command was given and the men leaned all their weight on the cobblestone, and Val, using the lever, gave the necessary impulse! And here it is!
The stone rolled and fell! It fell right on the head of the rotten giant, crushing the cannibal warg along with him! It was a success but… WHAT?!!
Following the stone from the cliff, with a loud, hoarse laugh, with a spear in his hand, fell Igor! That old bastard!!!
— WHAT?!? - The blonde couldn't believe what she was seeing... Igor...
The slap gave off a heat that brought Val back to her senses. Stir handed her one of his axes.
— Take this and run too! — The hoarse, bony voice was harder than steel.
— N-no, I... — Another slap landed on the other cheek.
— I won't repeat it twice! You are one of the best hunters and spearmen in our tribe! Perhaps you will become the leader of our tribe in the future! So I can't let you die here! So take my axe and run! Run in Hilda's footsteps! And now, — GO!!!
— I-I will remember this… And I will beat you up for this in the future! Just try to die here! If you die, I will kill you! — A sad grin appeared on Val's slightly tear-stained face. The blonde took Stear by the forearm and hugged him, then turned around and without saying anything, rushed to run in Hilda's footsteps…
Far behind us, an echo carried the cry: "FOR A FREE PEOPLE!!!"
***
Val doesn't remember how long she's been running. Her right eye, which was most likely hit by a stray arrow during the battle, is swollen. Her legs are almost worn to the point of bleeding, her furs and shoes are soaked to the skin, and there are almost no food or water supplies left... But she still moves forward...
For some reason unknown even to herself, she continued to follow the strange raven, which was croaking something vaguely resembling the word "Death"…
But now, it didn't matter to her… She didn't understand where she was, how she was, and she almost didn't even understand who she was…
The cold wind and snow penetrated to the bone and even deeper... A terrible rumble was heard in the distance... God's wrath, no doubt... But now, Val, it doesn't matter...
She's been walking for a long time... So long that she can see a mirage... A small, strange-looking hut, alone in the middle of the north... Ha... What a glorious deathbed vision... Mom told me about how she lived in something like that... Similar...
Or maybe this is the path to the afterlife... And she just has to go into the house, and there... Her mother will be waiting for her... With warm soup and a bedtime story... Tears appeared in the blonde's eyes, which almost immediately froze in the cold.
— Mom, I'm coming...
Val and the last of her strength approached the hut, using moral and volitional force, opened the door and, unable to stay on her feet, fell into the room... The last thing she saw were two beautiful yellow eyes... Just like little suns... Just like her mother's...
— Mom,.. Is it you?.. — A barely noticeable whisper escaped the girl's lips right at the moment when consciousness left her.